This invention relates to a process and apparatus for recovering metal values from ore.
Metal values such as gold are extracted from ore by comminuting the ore, mixing the ore with water to form a pulp, and treating of the pulp to separate the metal values from the ore. Processes used for this purpose include carbon-in-pulp processes, froth flotation processes, and the mixing of reagents such as cyanide (NaCN) with the pulp to liberate the metal values.
In the case of refractory ores, the ore is commonly roasted prior to cyanidation. Various other techniques, including pressure oxidation, bacterial oxidation and improvements to the basic roasting procedure have been proposed in order to reduce the amount of gold which is lost in the residue of existing processes.